THE ESSENTIAL A&E PICKS FOR JUL 6 - 12 

• Scott Renshaw

Komodo dragon exhibit @ Loveland Living Planet Aquarium
Some critters in the world inspire fascination simply by virtue of their name. Throw in an impressive physical presence, and they can be particularly hard to resist. So it's understandable that the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium is particularly excited to introduce a new exhibit showcasing a Komodo dragon, a monitor lizard from the islands of Indonesia.

According to the aquarium's Vice President and Director of Creative Design & Exhibits, Aryeh Robinson, it's been a six-year journey to finally acquiring the young Komodo dragon now on display at Living Planet Aquarium. It was hatched at the Bronx Zoo in Nov. 2021, under a Species Survival Plan managed by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums to ensure long-term survival of selected endangered species by maintaining genetic diversity of animals under human care. While the aquarium's Komodo dragon is currently a little fella only around 3 feet in length—and as such, prone to spend much of its time in the trees as a survival mechanism—he might ultimately reach up to 10 feet in length and 150 pounds. When he outgrows the current exhibit in the main aquarium building's Ford Asia Experience, he will be relocated to space in the 128,000 square foot Science Learning Center, currently under construction next door.

The Komodo dragon exhibit opened June 28, and is currently available with regular admission at the Loveland Living Planet Aquarium (12033 Lone Peak Pkwy., Draper). The aquarium is open daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., with tickets $12.95 - $27.95 at variable pricing depending on date of visit. Go to livingplanetaquarium.org for tickets and additional information. (Scott Renshaw)

• Waldron Creative

Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre
There are plenty of good reasons to spend a summer weekend hanging around in Logan, but one of the best is the annual showcase of some of the theater world's greatest combinations of song and story. That's what you get at the Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre, founded in 1992 by Michael Ballam, who remains an active part of the organization, including playing Fagin in this season's production of Oliver!

That's just the start of the 2023 season, which also features the 2013 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, the Ned Rorem opera version of Thornton Wilder's Our Town, and Wagner's classic opera Lohengrin. This year also features a unique chance to see two interpretations of the same venerable story: the tale of the enslaved Ethiopian princess Aida, from both the 1871 opera by Giuseppe Verdi, and the 2000 Broadway musical by Tim Rice & Elton John. Additionally, the UFOMT season traditionally features several special events, including the annual Michael Ballam Vocal Competition, "The Pianists" combination of masterworks and light-hearted entertainment, and Sentimental Journey, with the Festival's singers interpreting beloved songs from the Great American Songbook, Elton John and more.

Utah Festival Opera & Musical Theatre runs July 5 – Aug. 5 at the Ellen Eccles Theatre (43 S. Main St.) and the Utah Theatre (18 W. Center St.) in Logan. Dates and times vary by individual production. Individual tickets are $8 - $92, with packages available including five-show, six-show and for the two Aida productions. Visit utahfestival.org to purchase tickets and for additional event information. (SR)

• Courtesy Photo

Kinky Boots @ Egyptian Theatre Park City
As state legislatures around the country began passing sloppily-worded and ill-conceived laws targeting drag performances, it soon became clear that other kinds of performances might be impacted as well. Musicals that prominently included feature roles for cross-dressing actors, including Hairspray and the 2013 Tony Award-winning Best Musical Kinky Boots, could also reasonably be banned—a particular travesty, given those stories' narrative emphasis on people learning to understand and accept others they had previously "othered."

The musical version of Kinky Boots adapts the 2005 British film of the same name, which itself was inspired by a true story. It follows the struggles of Charlie Price, who has reluctantly inherited a family shoemaking business that appears to be on the verge of bankruptcy. An unexpected opportunity for saving the business emerges, however, when Charlie meets Lola, a London drag queen. The high-heeled boots Lola needs for her act aren't designed for the build and weight of a man, Charlie learns, opening up the possibility of the shoe factory filling a very niche market: stylized boots for drag performers. With a creative team made up of its own unique pairing—a book by playwright Harvey Fierstein and songs by 1980s pop icon Cyndi Lauper—Kinky Boots brings humor and heart to an exploration of being able to shift your paradigms for "normal."

Ogden's Ziegfeld Theatre brings its recent production of Kinky Boots to Park City's Egyptian Theatre (328 Main St.) July 7-23. Tickets are $35 - $49; visit egyptiantheatrecompany.org for tickets and additional event information. (SR)

Salt Lake Speaks Slam Poetry Exhibition
Two years ago, as part of the Blocks SLC initiative to bring foot-traffic to downtown Salt Lake City's Main Street, the Salt Lake County Division of Arts & Culture launched the Salt Lake Speaks Poetry Exhibition, showcasing local and national spoken-word talent. And while the audiences have been relatively small so far for the intimate affairs, communications manager Cami Munk believes there's opportunity for additional growth and engagement. "Poetry is not easy for everybody, but slam poetry, as I've learned, is a different way of listening and experiencing poetry," Munk says. "Hopefully as we gain more attention, people will want to hear more about it."

For 2023, the event returns, showcasing 10 participants curated with the assistance of local spoken-word artist Chelsea Guevara. Among the more familiar names in the Utah arts community is Jesse Parent, a second-place finisher at the Individual World Poetry Slam in 2010 and 2011, a former member of the Salt City Slam poetry teams and a former member of the executive council for Poetry Slam, Inc. Parent is scheduled to be joined by Ashley Finley, Frances Ngo, Magnolia, Marilyn Melissa Salguero, Monica Lisette, RJ Walker, Sammi Walker, Sophie, and Willy Palomo.

The Salt Lake Speaks event kicks off two days of free events at the Eccles Theater (131 S. Main St.), with the poetry slam in the building lobby on Friday, July 7 at 7 p.m., and a showcase of local music in the plaza behind the theater on Saturday, July 8 at 6:30 p.m. Visit saltlakecountyarts.org for additional event information. (SR)